On Monday, January 27th, the American Library Association (ALA) announced its annual and highly anticipated Youth Media Awards. According to the ALA, the awards “guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth.” There was a total of nineteen possible awards presented this year. While most award categories select a winner and several honor books, awards are also presented to individuals who have made a lasting and significant impact on children’s literature with their creative contributions or other literacy engagement. Receiving the coveted award seals that come with a win can mean tremendous recognition for authors as well as an uptick in book sales. A couple of notable award presentation firsts include Jerry Craft’s New Kid. It was the first graphic novel to win Newbery Medal. And esteemed artist, Kadir Nelson is a first-time Caldecott recipient. The following list includes the 2020 ALAYMA presented to Black authors and illustrators. Go here for a description of each award and here for past recipients.
Congratulations to everyone! Our stories matter.
New Kid
Jerry Craft | Quill Tree Books | Amazon | IndieBound
John Newbery Medal Winner
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award
Genesis Begins Again
Alicia D. Williams | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy | Amazon | IndieBound
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
William C. Morris Award Finalist
The Undefeated
Kwame Alexander | Kadir Nelson | Versify/HMH | Amazon | IndieBound
Newbery Honor Book
Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award
Double Bass Blues
Rudy Gutierrez | Andrea J. Loney | Alfred A. Knopf BYR | Amazon | IndieBound
Randolph Caldecott Honor Book
Going Down Home with Daddy
Daniel Minter | Kelly Starling Lyons | Peachtree Publishers | Amazon | IndieBound
Randolph Caldecott Honor Book
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
Junauda Petrus | Dutton/Penguin | Amazon | IndieBound
Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
The Black Flamingo
Dean Atta | Anshika Khullar | Hodder Children’s Books/Hachette | Amazon
Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award
Pet
Akwaeke Emezi | Make Me a World/Random House Children’s Books | Amazon | IndieBound
Stonewall Honor Book – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks
Jason Reynolds | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books | Amazon | IndieBound
Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
Kwame Mbalia |Rick Riordan Presents/Disney-Hyperion | Amazon | IndieBound
Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book
The Bell Rang
James E. Ransome | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy | Amazon | IndieBound
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
Sulwe
Vashti Harrison | Lupita Nyong’o | Schuster Books for Young Readers | Amazon | IndieBound
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
What Is Given from the Heart
April Harrison | Patricia C. McKissack | Schwartz & Wade | Amazon | IndieBound
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award
Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace
Ashley Bryan | Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books | Amazon | Indiebound
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality
Jo Ann Allen | Debbie Levy | Bloomsbury Children’s Books | Amazon | IndieBound
Sibert Honor Book
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
Ben Philippe | Balzer + Bray | Amazon | IndieBound
William C. Morris Award
Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir
Nikki Grimes | Wordsong/Boyds Mills & Kane | Amazon | IndieBound
Printz Honor Book
Sibert Honor Book
Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
2020 ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture Award
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